In recent years, a gradual illumination has come about in my life. And this has greatly affected my understanding of God’s will. In the second half of my life, this intuition or insight has made my soul feel lighter and brighter—and more joyful.
In my younger years, when I thought of God’s will, it...

If you go to any of our Franciscan friaries, churches, or convents, you will almost always find the Franciscan Coat of Arms hanging on a wall or visible over a doorway. This holds true around the world as well as through the centuries. The Franciscan Coat of Arms often consists of a cross with two arms...

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton is one of the keystones of the Catholic Church in United States. She founded the first religious community of the American Catholic Church—the Sisters of Charity. She opened the first American parish school and established the first American Catholic orphanage. She did all of this...

When he was crowned king of France in 1226, St. Louis—whose feast day we celebrated last month—took an oath to act as God’s anointed, as father of his people. He was crowned king at age 12 following his father’s death. When Louis was 19, he married Margaret of Provence. Despite Margaret’s restless...

Most of us agree, I assume, that personal prayer can be described as a conversation between two parties—ourselves and God. Speaking for myself, I often find myself giving more importance to my side of the conversation than to God’s. I think, for example, that I have to be more responsible, try...